--- title: 'Early intervention services: Who pays for what' description: Who pays for early intervention services? Some early intervention services are free. Others are not. Here's what you need to know. slug: early-intervention-services-who-pays-for-what author: Annie Stuart reviewer: Bob Cunningham, EdM published: '2019-08-05T15:27:04.579Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/B0CF4F68952048BE9D0AC85903E9C117/c35d9cd0825d8a4a9c524f02a7cc07dc/100813877.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/early-intervention-services-who-pays-for-what lang: en --- # Early intervention services: Who pays for what These days, it may seem as though not much is free. But you and your infant or toddler *can* receive free early intervention services if your child is eligible. Not all services are free, however; it depends on which state you live in. Still, your child can’t be denied services if you can’t afford to pay for them. Read on to get a better sense of when early intervention services are free and when you may need to pay for them. ## Free early intervention services The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that families receive these services at no cost: - **Coordinated activities to locate children** ([Child Find](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/child-find-what-it-is-and-how-it-works)) who may need early intervention services - **A simple evaluation** to see whether a full evaluation is needed - **Comprehensive developmental testing** to see whether a child needs early intervention services - **Ongoing assessments** to see if services need to continue - **A family assessment** to check whether your family needs services - **Development and review** of the [Individualized Family Service Plan](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/ifsp-what-it-is-and-how-it-works) (IFSP), if your child is determined eligible for services - **Service coordination** to help you and your child through the early intervention program - **Transition services** to help your child move from one service to another or from early intervention to preschool ## When early intervention services are not free Your service coordinator can tell you which services are *not* free in your state. Your state must provide its policies to you in writing, so you know exactly what to expect. Depending on your state, you may be asked to pay for certain specialized services such as: - Family training and support, counseling, and home visits - Nursing - Nutrition - Special instruction - Speech or hearing services - Occupational or physical therapy - Medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes only - Health services to enable your child to benefit from other early intervention services - Vision services, including orientation and mobility training - Assistive technology devices and services - Transportation, respite care (short-term child care that gives a parent a break from the caregiver role), or environmental adaptations (such as the use of a quiet room) Some of these services may be: - **Charged on a sliding-fee scale.** This means early intervention services charge you based on what you earn. - **Covered by your health insurance, Medicaid, or Indian Health Services.** Some insurers will cover early intervention services, and some will not. In most cases, you must give your written consent before anyone involved with early intervention can access your private or public health insurance for payment. If you don’t give your consent, however, you and your child still cannot be denied services. Early intervention does not pay for health or medical care of the type that is routinely recommended for *all* children. In other words, it doesn’t pay for services like: - Immunizations - Well-baby care - Hospitalizations - Prescriptions - Devices to treat a medical condition If you’re still not sure which early intervention services are free and which aren’t, don’t worry. That’s what your service coordinator is for. This person will walk you through what you need to know about paying for any early intervention services. --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/early-intervention-services-who-pays-for-what#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/early-intervention-services-who-pays-for-what","description":"Who pays for early intervention services? Some early intervention services are free. Others are not. Here's what you need to know."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/early-intervention-services-who-pays-for-what","name":"Early intervention services: Who pays for what"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-08-05T15:27:04.579Z","description":"Who pays for early intervention services? Some early intervention services are free. Others are not. 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